Rapid and accurate detection and identification of pathogens such as bacteria is important, and can be critical, in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, and in the prevention or amelioration of pandemics or epidemics. However, methods for detecting or identifying pathogens often require large samples, which can be difficult to obtain, or may be uncomfortable or painful for the subject. Methods for detecting or identifying pathogens often require the incubation of samples on growth media, or in host cells or animals, and so take long periods of time. Many pathogens are difficult to culture, or are similar to other organisms, and so are difficult to identify even if the sample yields a detectable culture. In addition, methods for detecting or identifying pathogens may require rare or expensive reagents or culture conditions.
Thus, detection and identification of pathogens in a biological sample may be important in the diagnosis and treatment of patients exposed to, or suspected of suffering, from infectious diseases. However, present methods for detecting or identifying pathogens are often inaccurate, difficult, expensive, and time-consuming. Accordingly, rapid, accurate and straightforward methods for the detection and identification of pathogens from small samples are desired.